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Podell Steps Down As CEO Of Next New Networks

On the heels
of reaching its one-billionth page-view, Web TV network creator Next New Networks is losing its CEO Lance Podell.

Citing personal reasons, the company said Podell was relinquishing
day-to-day responsibilities as CEO, and assuming the position of Chairman of the Board.

In his place, the company's current chairman, Fred Siebert, has been named the company's CEO.

"This company is the hands down winner in the web original programming space and will shine brighter than ever under Fred's leadership," Podell said in a blog post on Thursday.

Founded in
March 2007, Next New Networks creates, packages, brands, markets and syndicates episodic programming for the Web.

While Next New Networks is not particularly old, its team brings plenty of
experience to the table. Siebert was MTV's original creative director, while Felicia Williams, former entertainment content manager at YouTube, is the company's director of creative development.

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Along with over 1 billion videos served, Next New recently claimed to have put out 8,000 episodes of programming in three years, which it has calculated as 125,000 views on average per
episode. The company also said that its monthly views had rocketed in the first six months of this year from 32.8 million to 150 million.

"We've had an exciting, fast-paced summer, with lots
of growth in viewership and programming, and we have more great news we'll be putting out soon about both of those things," Tim Shey, co-founder and head of entertainment at Next New Networks, said in
a blog post on Thursday.

In early 2009, meanwhile, Next New debuted $99 Music Videos -- an online network for musical artists and groups to showcase videos created on a shoestring budget.
Verizon FiOS served as the exclusive launch partner.

Headquartered in New York, Next New is privately owned, with investors including Spark Capital, Goldman Sachs and Velocity Interactive.